OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maseru | Tuesday 9.00pm.
THOUSANDS of weapons stolen from the Lesotho Defence Force’s armoury by mutinous soldiers are still floating around Lesotho, the defence force warned on Tuesday.
In his first public statement since he was reinstated after rebel troops deposed him last month, Lesotho Defence Force chief Lieutenant-General Makhula Masakeng said: ”What is of concern to the Lesotho security forces is the weapons stolen from our armouries by some of the mutineers.”
According to Colonel Robbie Hartslief, commander of a regional task force operating in Lesotho, stockpiles of weapons were stolen from the Makoanyane military base outside the capital Maseru, where the Southern African Development Community task force encountered strong resistance from the rebel soldiers. ”The quartermaster’s store was open when we entered the base,” he said. He said he has intelligence reports that there are still thousands of illegal weapons in the area, including AK47 assault rifles.